Batching apparatus



W. M. VENABLE BATCHING APPARATUS April' 12, 1927.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7. 1924 INVENTOR -f v A TTORNEY Patented Apr. 12, 1927.

llllllpltlw TATES PATENT LLAd IEAYO VENABLE, OF PTTSBRGH, PENNSYLVLNI, ASSGNGR TO BLAW'- KNOX COIGPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BATCHING APPARATUS.

Application tiled March 7, 1924:. Serial No. 697,483.

My invention relates to what may conveniently be termed hatchingl apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for keeping separate and deliverings,- or dump ing as wanted different materials that are to be used concurrently or together. E amples of such hatching api aratus are the bodieaot motor trucks used for hauling ingredients for concrete.

Various objects and advantages ot the invention will appear from my explanation hereinafter of its use in connection with concrete work on roads and the like, and trom my desorption oit the best embodiments oit the invention known to me with special reference to their use in road buildmg.

ln building concrete roads and road foundations, it is customary to grade the roadway with a steam shovel or the lilre a long distance ahead oit the actual paving work: indeed, it is quite. common to have the grading practically con'ipleted (excepttor the `linal finishing up and levelling oft the surface) several miles ahead of the actual concreting operations. The roadway usually graded just to the width necessary to receive the pavement, which for concrete roads is generally about 'i8 ieet, more or less; so that at the point where the mixer is opera-ting and the concrete being,` placed in the roadway, very little extra room is available. .(renerally, ct' course, the materials` flor the concrete have to be hauled over the graded roadway ahead of the miner (and ot' the fresh com rete just d on the grade); and to avoid con yion in the limited space where wort: is going on around the mixer, it iacustomary to drive motor trucks with the mineral an; gregate that is to be mixed with cement to torni the concrete within one or two hundred ieet oi the mix-er (where a turntable ie generally provided to turn them around), and then bach them up to the mixer and dump their loads into the latter.

lo present practice, the mineral aggre- ,ogate .tor each charge of the mix-.r generally consists ot about l2 cu. ift. ot sand and iden. it. oi" broken stone-or gravel. Small trucks haul `,only one such batchof sand and sione at a load; others, large `enough to carry several such batches, are provided with cross partitions to divide them up into separate compartments or containers for the individual batches. After dumping its first batch into the mixer hopper, such a truck is drawn aiiew feet away to await disposal ot this batch by the mixer before backing up to it again and depositing' another batcln-and so on until all thev batches in the truc-li (up to a maximum ot tour, according to present practice) have been dumped.

The cement used in the concrete is not` hauled in the saine batch with the sand and stone, because the latter are more or less wet, and hence likely to injure the cement in transit. ln order to obviate the coi tion, inconvenience, and delay that would result troni periodically unloading' trucks of cement right at the miner required. it is customary to haul the cement independently ot the mineral aggregate, and to store it in piles along the side ot' the grade. As a great deal ot cement is required, and as it cannot well be planted in this manner very far ahead of the miner,-on account et its deterioration with prolonged exposure or in case ot' rain,--tliis separate hauling` proves great nuisance; tor it nec essarily causes congestion and interferes with the tree and undelayedstream ot stone and sand trucks to and from the. miner on which regular, continuous, economical operation depends. .and besides the labor and expense of loading, hauling, and unloading and placingl the cement along the roaiilway, this practice requires the continuous services of some. tour entra men at the miner (when the latter is ol ordinary eine) to handle the bags of cement and emil them into the mixerf-to say nothing ot the annoyance and trouble ot gatheriijig the sacks and hauling them back to the Awarehoi ie. the considerable loss ot' sacks by carelesen ness, and the occasional damage to the cement (in transit or alongside the roadway) by wetting.

lily invention makes it possible to do away with such disadvantages ot' pref-ent practice, by abolishing` the separate ha ot cement. Even though the stone and .sand be reeking wet, my invention permits the cement to be hauled in the same truck with them without any rislot' dainpeningr. lt makes it possible to do away with handling of cement or sacks along; the roadway or at themixer, and allows all handling and emptying of sacks to be done at the ware- `side viewet `a'ln'iotor truck body .inclined'or tilted' to dumping position, thel truck chassis and other parts Ibeingindicated in broken lines, yand certain partsbeing broken away to exposejvarious 'features ot apparatus conveniently embodying my invention.

I'Figj2 is a fragmentarysideview some what `similar tOiF-igl, but en a larger scale,

lill

`right sidewall 118, e'n'ds 1'9, and bottom 20,

showing the truck body horizontal.

Fig. isa fragmentary viewas l"from the right of Fig. 2, showing 'the truck body "in cross seotion,-certain parts being omitted.

rFigs. d and 5- 4show fragmentary horizontal sections 'taken as indicated byl the lines lceternel 5-5 iny Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is'aview` ot a 'truckbody similar to Figxl, on asmallerscale, show-ing'dit- 'ferent forms of construction.

The truokand the-provisions tor elevating or tilting' Vits'y body lO'flor dumping (see 1) may be of any preferred type and construction. As shown, thebo'dy or container ,10 `isvin'the form of a rectangular box openA attop and rear,-a`nd alfords two separa-ted containers or compartments 11 and 12 tor the two batches of sandand stone that it has capacity to carry. Ordinarily, the rear sides or ends of the compartments 11 and 12`are` elosedfand their contents retained evenatter the body 1-0 istiltedyby means of closure or partition structures or devicesld, 15. Containers or compartments 1G, 17 (likewise counterparts ot one` another) are provided for separate-'transportation ot the cement to be used with each batch of sandfand stone. its here shown, these auxiliary een'ientf cou'ipartments216, 17 areassoeiated and ina manner combined with the closure or partition devices 1i, 15, as unitary .structures that can very `easily-be installed in oriremoved from almost any truck body 10, andcan readily be substituted `-tor the usual partitions ot trucks heretoifore in general use. The entire devices or structures 11i, 15 here shown being just alike, `and similarly mounted in the body 10,f^-it will sutlice to describe the former.

referring,""new, to jFigs. 1,92, 3, ,d and Y, it will be seen thatfthelauxiliaryf'compartment 16 ot the' device 14. isiiintlhelformlfot a trai'isverse sheet metal pocket withupthe latter in the presentV instancefslfoping rearwardf'somewhat, vas shown, and being preferably ot fheavierplateyon account ot tromfthe compartment 1G.

Vthem into the mixer.

theieXtra severe abrasion andwear to which it-'gis subjected. vTo close the upper end or .top of the compartment 16 and provide con- -veniently tor lillingit with cement, va sheet vmetal cover 21, (with kdownturned or tlanged vedges to overlap the compartment walls and makeia weatl'ierproo'f joint) is hinged on a transverse pivot rod 23 extending across the V"tor-ward "upper edge ot the pocket and lwith which the structure 1i is functionally associated.

This plate 25 isVmovable to serve asa discharge gate 'for the main compartment 11, and also controls the discharge As shown in Figs-i2 and 3, the plate 25 is suspended to swing `tore and al't in the body l0, trom a pivot rod 2G extending across the body, and

'itself mounted as hereinafter described. ln

the construction here illustrated, the compartment walls 18, 19, 20are lixedly mounted relatively to the body 10, and the plate 25 is at-therear side of the compartment 1o '-andjserves directly as a gate thereior,as` well as" for the compartment 11.

The gap that would otherwise exist between theupper edge ot the plate and `the top ot the cover 21 is closed by a transverse plate 27secured at its ends to the walls I19,fandof sufficient Width to be slightly but closely overlapped and pressed against by thel upper edge ot' the plate 25; and tui-ther protection against the weather is atlorded become wet from the other, and the contents oi the compartn'ient 16 are also i'ully protected from the weather. Wlien, however, the truck body l() istilted and the gate released to swing and open rearward and outward under the influence of gravity as shown in F ig. 1, tree passage is all'orded for the gravitational discharge ot the sund and stone from the compartn'ient or container 11 beneath the compartment or container 16 and the gatev 25. At the same time, also, the cement from the compartment lo is likewise automatically released and discharged don'f'nward upon, into, and with the rush of `sand and stone` and carried with Thus there is no chance for the cement to stick to the wet interior of the body 10, *because it never comes Cil in contact therewith; while the sand and stone not only make .a clean sweep of everything into the mixer, but also exert a scouring and cleaning effect on the interior of the body.

rlhe action when the other compartment l2 is discharged is the sa1ne,e:\:cept, ot' course, that its contents have further to slide.

Passing, now, to other features and details of construction and operation, it will be observed, in the first place, that the gate plate 25 is reinforced and stifiened around its outer edges by externa-l angle bars 30, and elsewhere by external vertical angle bars 3l and internal horizontal V shaped sheet metal stili'eners 32 and 33. The last of these, it will be seen, seats and makes a. tight joint against the bottom plate when the gate is closed, as shown in Fig. 2. When'thc gate 25 closes, it also seats more or less closely aga-inst the edges of inward joggled vertical plates 34 secured to the compartment walls 19; and this joint is additionally protected and made practically tight by vertical sealing angle flanges 35, 35 on the gate that close on either .side of each plate 34.

As shown in Figs. 2, 3, 11 and 5, the gate 25 is normally held closed by engagement of inward projecting bevel-ended latch. hooks 86 at its vertical edges over the edges of catch notches 37 in the bottom plate 2O within the narrow vertical chambers formed within the compartment 11 by the plates 34. `When the gate is to be opened, the latches 8G can be disengaged and released by shifting the gate in its own plane, so as to shift them out of the notches 37. As shown, this is accomplished by lifting the ends oi the gate pivot rod 26, which extend through vertical guide slots 88 in angle bar brackets 39 secured to the compartment walls 19 above the body 10, and projecting rearward. As a convenient means ot lifting the ends of this rod 2G together (and thus releasing the latches, 37 simultaneously), an eccentric alt), with handle 11, is non-rotatably secured to each end ot the rod, so as to bear on the outward projecting horizontal bracket flange. 'lhus the gate 25 may be released and opened or set to lock itself shut on closing by manipulating either handle 41, as most convenient at the moment.

`When the eccentrics 4() are in locking adj ustment, the handles 41 extend forward be side the brackets 39 (Fig. 2); while for releasing adjustment, they extend rearward in a conspicuously exposed position (Fig. 1). The weight ot the handles .l1 andof the gate 25 itself naturally prevents release of' the gate 25 by jarring, and fiat surfaces 42 on the eccentric peripheries prevent partial, dangerously deceptive accidental closing rotation of the eccentrics when once set for release.

Vhile, of course, the various wall plates 18, 19, 20 and 27 and the gate 25 might be more or less separately secured to the truck body 10 (in which case the lower portions, at least, of the plates 19 could be dispensed with), it is generally preferable to secure all these parts together independently oi" the body 10, as shown, so as to form one complete unit that can be easily and quickly mounted and secured in proper position in the body. By designing the compartments 16, 17 of ample depth and capacity and merely varying their mount-ing in the body 10, the structures 11i, 15 can be standardized as to cross section or profile for truck bodies ot a great many dii'l'erent shapes and styles; so that in order to adaptthe .standard line or design to extreme variations in truck width, it will only be necessary to vary the lengths oi the pieces 1S, 20, 21, 25, 27 etc., transversely ot the body, which as a manufacturing proposition is generally much sim-` pler and easier than to modify the profile.

A convenient method of mount-ing the units la, 15 on the body 10 is to employ longitudinally extending angle bars all that can be secured to the usual top flanges Li5 ot the body with their own upstanding flanges to the inside, so that the units 11i, 15 (and as many more like them as the size oit' the body 10 may demand) can be iitted between such flanges and secured to them by bolts 1-6 extendingl through the compare ment walls 19. Thus the ent-ire structure 14E or 15 can be easily and quickly removed for repair, or to permit use or the truck without it. Minor variations in width of bodies 10 or length or' compartments 16, 17 can easily be accommodated or compensated i'or by interposing filler pieces a7 of appropriate thickness between walls 19 and angle bars 14, or by altering the width oi' the horizontal flanges of the bars la or their position on the body iianges 45, or both. V ariations of bodies 10 in depth can be taken care ot in the manner indicated above, by merely varying the vertical position ot the row oiE holes tor the bolts 46 in the compartnu-ait walls 19 so as to give the proper depth olf opening (some G or 8 inches, say) below the compartments 1G, 17, and the proper working clearance at the lower edges oit the doors 25.

From the foregoing description of the construct-ion shown in Figs. 1-5, it will be seen that the gate means oit the main con tainer 11 and ot the corresponding aux,- iliary compartment 16 are not only mounted and combined for swinging movement together relative to both container and compartment, but are structurally consolidated or merged in the one plate 25.` In the type ot' construction illustrated in Fig. 6, and now to be described, the gate means ot main containers and auxiliary compartments are likewise mounted and combined to move to- Sii -gether,1`though not merged er consolidated.

-ot'being vixed, however, the bottom plates 20, 202 ot these auxiliary coinpartr'nents 1t' '17 are 7movable, to* serve `as-vgetes `for the discharge"ofjmaterifal kfrom those compartments. For this purpose, 1 they are Yatt-ache d =to` the' gateifplat-es 25,-' 25, so as to swi-ngwith tnenrrwhen they'open. ITO facilitate;l the discharge "of cement fromthe 'compartments 1G, 17 V(especially rif the cement be tightly i-packed) ,i each such vbottom` zgate 20 "may be ia'nge '51 along =its lowerfedgeorthefree edge et the bottom lplatef QO'fto rest en, or

fa `ceu-ple et' lugs. 'Vith suehfan .arrange ment, the comp artment bot-tom 520 will "drop .and swing "down against thefmain -gate 25 `as it swings rearward with the=latter,-thus `.disehargijng or dumping Ithe cement directly downward on the 4materia-l dischargingbe` low.

The main gate forms the rear wall of the compartment 16 inFig 6, just "as in Figs. `1'5; andfthus `this-compartment 16 has-a tree discharge openingllaterally to the rear when thecmain gate opens, as well as downward. The compartment `17,'011 Athe other hand, is'here shownwithaa separate, i'ixed rear wallQ of its own. 'nbetlr cases, however, the discharge oftheauiiliary compartment 16 or 17"is directlycout-rolledby theopening of the main gate y25, as in Figs.

As here shown, `the 4'fixed lcoinpartment walls 18, 52 are attached directly to the side walls roffthe truclrlbody 10, instead of to separate end'walls asl in Figs. 1 5. yInstead of lifting the mainfgatefand the attached auxiliary gate Q0 bodily to release and dischargethem, as in Figs. 1 5, afmovableflatch bolt flnayfbe provided, vwith an operating rodct extendingthrough guides 55 to the `top edge of the gate.'fas' shown.

In Fig. 6, Various parts and features-are marked 'with the same'.referencev characters kas in Figs. 1-5,'as/ a meansrotdispensing their discharge combined formiovement to- `gether#relative to both container and comta'iner withlaterally swinging discharge gate and=anauxiliary compartment lmounted in lsaid container against said gate,with lateral ydischarge opening" norn'ially 'elo-ed thereby.

4. `Thecombination ot' a duniping con tainerand'lan auiriliary compartment fixed thereon `with `passa-Ue.therebeneath tor disv` `charge otmaterial trom said container, and Jgate means'for controlling their discharge mounted and combinedto swing together :relative-Ito both containeriand compartment.

5. The combination olea dumping coin tainer` and a flaterally diseharging auxili ary compartment,'with a lateral ly swinging gate -i'or said container also 'controlling the discharge from 4said conipartment, and latch ineanslor.holding said-gate shut releasable by shifting thefagate' in its own plane.

`6. An y-auXiliary compartment structure adapted `to be mounted on -a` tilting` dump container', 'said structure comprising `gate Ameans l'or simultaneously controlling the discharge `ot `compartment and container, )mounted and combined Jfor movement together relative to both.

7. An auxiliary compartment structure 'adapted 'to be mounted on tilting dump container, said structure comprising alateral "discharge-gate adapted to serve also as a `gate for said container.

8. An vauxiliary compartment Astructure adaptedxto Ibe iXed'on atilting dump container with passage beneathithe compartment ftor discharge oiiinlaterial from said container', said structure comprising a laterally swinging-diseharge gate l'or the compartlment extending vbelow it to control-the discharge through such passage.

9. An auxiliary co1i'lpartment structure adapted to be monntedion `a tilting dump 'container-with passage beneath the compartment for discharge of material from said container, sa'id `structure comprising a gate pivoted to swing lateralljv; and discharge both compartment?and container,\latch means iter hold-ing said gate shut, and means t'or lifting-.the-gate by Litsfpivotal means to release saidfla'teh means and'allow the gate to open.

'In Itestimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my mame.

' VILLIAM M. VENABLE.

1 (l tl llo 

